Bucolic briefs

The 4th Annual Pittsboro Pepper Festival will be held Oct. 2 from 4-7 p.m. at the community park in Briar Chapel. The celebration of peppers includes food, beer and music and features area chefs creating appetizer–sized dishes using heirloom peppers. Admission is $20 in advance or $30 the day of the event. For more, go to www.theabundancefoundation.org.

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The Carolina Paint Horse Club will host the Cardinal Classic Oct. 15 and 16 at the WNC Agricultural Center, Fletcher. For more information on shows, contact CPHC president Tony Honeycutt, (704) 792-2122 or go to www.thecarolinapainthorseclub.com.

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The 2011 Southeast NC Ag show, hosted by the Lumber River Old Iron Tractor Club, will be held Oct. 22 at the Southeastern Agricultural Center and Farmers Market in Lumberton. The event features antique tractor and equipment displays, food, arts and crafts, kids' games and events, tractor games, music, working horses, equipment demonstration and FFA displays. For more, contact Junior Callahan, (910) 840-0291 or Jerry Willoughby, (910) 648-6369.

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The Davidson County N.C. Cooperative Extension Office invites prospective, beginning and transitioning farmers to attend the 2012 Piedmont Farm School, a seven-month program designed to provide training in production practices and business planning to help people operate successful, small-scale, sustainable farms. The program will start Feb. 14 and wraps up in October. The group will meet one evening for business training and on another day for a field trip to a local farm. Field trip topics include whole farm planning, livestock basics, fruits, vegetables, specialty crops, agritourism and marketing. The cost if registered before Dec. 16 is $150 for one person, $200 for two people or $250 for families of three or more. There is an additional $25 fee for anyone registering between Dec. 16 and Jan. 20. For more information, contact Leslie Vinesett at (336) 242-2085 or Mary Helen Ferguson at (336) 318-6000.

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The North Carolina chapter of Re-Run, a nonprofit organization that places ex-racehorses into adoptive homes, now has thoroughbred racehorses available for adoption. Thoroughbreds are versatile and do well in any number of disciplines including shows, events, fox hunting or pleasure riding, according to Elizabeth Macdonald with Re-Run. For more, go to www.rerun.org or contact Elizabeth Macdonald at hemacd@mindspring.com.